FORT MYERS, Fla. – The hot start for the FGCU volleyball team (4-0) continued on Friday night as the Eagles swept FIU (1-3) in straight sets - 25-5, 25-23, 25-19 – in the night cap of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic. The win marked the first time in program history that the Green and Blue have opened a campaign with four consecutive 3-0 victories.
The 4-0 start is also the second-best start to a season in the Division I era for the Eagles. FGCU opened the 2019 campaign with a 6-0 start. Overall, the program posted a 6-0 start in its first season (2004) and went 4-0 to begin 2005.
"We're pleased with the results from today. We had a chance to look at some different lineups and different variations," said head coach Matt Botsford. "The first set was a bit of an aberration when you win that way. There are definitely a number of things we need to work on heading into tomorrow and down the road. I thought Lauren Clark was a big plus for us tonight coming off the bench, but it was Aja Jones' start today that set the table for the whole night."
In Friday's first set of the night, FGCU was simply dominant with a 25-5 win. The Eagles hit .536 with 15 kills and no errors powered by the duo of junior Erin Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS) and junior Aja Jones (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) who had five kills and four kills each. FGCU opened the match with a 10-2 lead thanks to a six-point run early. An FIU kill six points later made it a 13-5 game which marked the last time the Panthers would score as FGCU closed the set on a 12-point run.
The second set saw a closer start to the match with the teams trading points. A five-point run for the Eagles gave them breathing room at 15-10, but FIU continued to stay in the game to tie things at 19 each. It looked as if FGCU was taking charge after extending to a 22-19 lead, but the Panthers were able to pull back within a point twice down the stretch, 23-22 and 24-23. A kill by graduate Snowy Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) proved the final point of the set as the Eagles took the 2-0 lead.
The third set of the night saw another tight battle until the Eagles broke open a 12-12 tie with a four-point spurt which included three FIU errors and a kill from sophomore Juliana Lentz (Miami, Fla./St. Brendan HS). After FIU responded with back-to-back points to end the run, FGCU used a five-point run to open up a 21-14 lead. Shomaker had a pair of aces and a kill, while junior Lauren Clark (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS/Penn State) posted two kills to give the Eagles a cushion. The Green and Blue looked to close out the win up 24-16, but the Panthers scored three straight times before graduate Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) ended the match with her sixth kill of the night.
Overall, Shomaker and Lentz led the Eagles with 10 kills each with five players recording 6-or-more kills for the match. Senior Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) recorded 36 assists, while senior Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) had 17 digs. With her six kills in the match, VanLiew needs just 24 more to surpass Amanda Carroll (1,483 kills, 2015-19) for the program's all-time lead.
Giada Bianchi had a match-high 11 kills and 10 digs to pace FIU. Ella Erteltova notched 24 assists and Valeria Santos had 16 digs.
The Eagles net defense was strong as well with eight blocks compared to four for FIU. Lentz posted four total blocks followed by Jones and Shomaker who both had three.
FGCU will return to action on Saturday with a pair of matches in day two of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic. In the morning, the Eagles will host Florida A&M at 11 AM before closing out the tournament with a meeting against USC Upstate at 7 PM. FIU and USC Upstate will play at 2 PM to round out the schedule. Tickets can be purchased in advance on www.FGCUTickets.com or at the Alico Arena Ticket Office.
In Friday's earlier games, FIU defeated Florida A&M, 3-1, while the Rattlers then defeated USC Upstate, 3-0, in the afternoon match.
For complete coverage of the volleyball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter at @FGCU_VB, on Instagram at @FGCU_VB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and online at FGCUathletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU volleyball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
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